Walking a Different Path
by Jolly Green
Summary: What repercussions could there possibly be for Konoha when Naruto finally loses his patience and drops his mask for good? Will a few harsh words change Sakura's outlook on her life? SasuSaku, minor NaruHina. M for language and possible gore later.
1. Enough is Enough

Walking a Different Path

By: Jolly

A Naruto Fanfic

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Author's note

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Hey everyone! Welcome to my second fanfic! Don't worry though; I haven't given up on Mystic Eyes. I'm simply taking some time off from it to do some research on a few things and possibly go back and do a rewrite. I'll let you know when I know.

This is NOT a NaruHina focused fanfic. This is going to be a SasuSaku fanfic at the request of my wife. ^_^ (Despite my dislike for the canon Sasuke and Sakura, I've always thought it'd be interesting to see what would happen if they actually got together.) So whether you're a diehard fan of them or you're a fan of seeing them die hard, you can all thank/blame her. ^_^ (j/k Sweetie…)

I'll be portraying Naruto's darker side a lot more in the relatively few times we see our blond hero throughout the story.

If you're interested in beta'ing any of my stories, please let me know. I'm kind of on my own right now in the proofreading department. (^_^;)

So without further adieu; I give you chapter one of Walking a Different Path.

Enjoy!

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Outside the Konoha Ninja Academy, a small crowd began to disburse after watching what had become a daily ritual for two students.

"_Dobe_. What makes you think you'll ever be anything other than the Dead Last? You've never beaten me in a fight, and you never will," said the raven-haired boy with contempt.

His blond opponent, who was attempting to get back on his feet looked up at him with scorn. "_Teme_. I'll beat you, yet! I'm gonna be Hokage! Only the best ninja in the village can hold that title, so I'm _going_ to beat you! _Dattebayo_!"

Naruto knew deep down that he couldn't beat the Uchiha prodigy, but that never stopped him from challenging the boy on a daily basis.

"Hn… Whatever," Sasuke said as he began to walk towards the gates to the Academy.

Naruto got up and dusted his cloths off before shoving his hands in his pockets and began making his way to his run down apartment, muttering under his breath. However, before he even made it to the gate he was confronted by a voice from behind him.

"Why do you even bother? You know you can't beat him. Honestly, why do you insist on challenging Sasuke-kun?"

The blond turned around to see the pinkette looking at him with her hands on her hips and giving him an annoyed look.

Naruto had never truly liked the girl, but his 'crush' on her came part and parcel with his 'idiot mask'. Usually he would throw on a cheerful smile and chatter incessantly at her or ask her out on a date, but the fact that she was once again being derisive, especially right after getting beaten, pushed his temper over the edge. His expression turned cold and hard.

"I have my reasons and they're none of your business, Sakura-_chan_," he said with a slight sneer.

She froze where she stood in absolute bewilderment.

'_Where did _this_ come from? He's never acted like this before!_' Before she could even think about knocking the blond into next week or giving a sharp retort, he continued on.

"And since we're being _honest_, what makes you think you'll ever get your precious '_Sasuke-kun_'? All of you fan girls constantly treat him like he's a piece of meat the way you fight over him like a bunch of _dogs_. Do you honestly think he wants to be with any of you?" he scoffed.

Sakura had the presence of mind to get angry at the poorly veiled insult. "What are you trying to say, Naruto?" she asked clenching her fist in front of her threateningly. Normally this action would have invoked the boy's flight/cower response, thus ending the conversation in her favor. But nothing was _normal_ about the blond today.

'_Screw the mask… I've had it with this crap!_'

Naruto grabbed the raised wrist and pulled the pinkette down to his level so that she was eye-to-eye with him. The action startled her so much that she could do nothing but gape at him like a fish.

"And here I thought you were the smart one in the class. I guess I'll just spell it out for you. You can consider this the one piece of advice you'll probably ever get from me: If you want that _teme_ so damn much, try treating him like a human being, not some festival prize you can take home and put on your shelf. Better yet, try actually training every once in awhile. As you so casually rubbed in, Sasuke is the best in our class. What makes you think he'd be interested in having a _weak_ girlfriend? You think your _looks_ are going to win him over? I may be the 'Dead Last', but even _I_ know he's not a shallow person." Leaving the conversation at that he pushed the girl away from him, letting go of her arm as he turned.

As he walked away from the stunned girl, he left her with a final parting shot without turning around. "Oh, and that whole thing with me being your personal punching bag? That just ended."

With that, he disappeared through the gate, leaving a confused Sakura standing in the training field alone.

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Author's Note

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Short, I know. But this is just chapter one!

Let me know what you think!


	2. Time for Change

Walking a Different Path

By: Jolly

A Naruto Fanfic

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Author's note

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Gotta love inspiration! This will be a MUCH longer chapter than the first. The reason chapter one was so short is I wanted to give myself a base to build off of. I hate reading and writing short chapters. They always feel like cop outs...

Okay, less yacking, more writing! Chapter two away!

Enjoy!

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Naruto slammed the door to his apartment and stomped toward the kitchen.

'_Shit, shit, shit! I know better than to let stuff like that get to me! Now what am I gonna do? Sakura's probably gonna tell the whole class what happened!_'

During his mental rant, he filled a kettle with water before tossing it on the stove to boil. Grabbing half a dozen cups of ramen, he sat at his table and sat back to think as he waited.

'_**Is that such a bad thing?**_' a voice asked.

Naruto jumped to his feet, knocking his chair to the floor as he looked around his apartment with a kunai in hand.

"Who's there?!" he yelled to the seemingly empty apartment.

A guttural laugh filled his head. '_**That kunai isn't going to do you any good, Kit. Unless you plan on stabbing yourself with it, that is,**_' the voice said again. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized that the voice was coming from inside his head.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he asked seriously.

'_**I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune that attacked Konohagakure 12 years ago and what I want is for you to stop being the village's whipping boy. It not only harms you, it disgraces my memory when those ignorant villagers attack you for nothing more than their own fears,**_' the voice growled.

"Kyuubi? That's impossible! The Yondaime Hokage killed you!" the blond yelled.

'_**You're being too loud, Kit. If anyone were to hear you, they'd think the worst. Guess it's time for you and I to talk face to face,**_' Kyuubi said.

Naruto felt a tugging in the back on his mind just before he blacked out.

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He awoke an instant later inside of what looked like a sewer. He looked around him to check for threats.

"**This is your mind, Kit. You're not going to find anything threatening in here.**"

Naruto turned his head towards the tunnel the voice had come from and started to make his way towards it. He came out into a large room with a huge door made of metal bars. In the center of the door was a tag that read 'seal'. However, it wasn't the door that inspired awe, but what was behind the door.

On the other side of the bars appeared a pair of crimson eyes that looked down at the blond figure before them.

"Kyuubi... so it's true. But how? Why are you sealed inside me?" Naruto asked, confused.

"**12 years ago, I was forced to attack Konohagakure by someone with a grudge against the village. Unfortunately, it's impossible for power of a mortal to kill a being made of chakra, therefore your Hokage sacrificed his own life to seal my soul inside of a newborn baby; you. You are what is known as a jinchuriki; a demon container.**"

"But why me? Couldn't you have been sealed inside of some other person?!" Naruto asked, starting to get angry.

"**Unfortunately, no. If he had tried to seal me inside of anyone other than a newborn, I would have broken free, thus killing my container and continuing my rampage. A baby's chakra network is unformed and malleable, thus able to endure the strain of containing such a volatile energy. An adult's network is already formed and rigid and would have been shattered had a chakra such as mine been sealed in it. You really were the only choice...**" the fox said with the slightest hint of regret in his voice.

Naruto was silent for a long time as he looked at the ground in front of him. Finally he brought his gaze back up to the figure behind the gate. "So why do you care what happens to me? I mean, you're a demon! Is it just because it's an _insult_ to your memory if I get hurt?" he asked with anger in his voice.

"**Just because I'm a demon doesn't make me insensitive. I'm stuck inside you until you die or release the seal binding me of your own free will, which would also kill you. I've watched you all these years from inside your own mind, and I'm honestly disgusted with the actions of the people of your village. You're like the kit I never had, so when they hurt you it makes me angry. I don't understand why you want to be the leader of people like them,**" Kyuubi said with disgust. "**And making them respect you isn't a good enough reason!**"

Naruto closed his mouth as Kyuubi said the last part. "What do you mean?"

"**What I mean is, why does it matter if all those idiots think of you as the embodiment of me? Think about it; do you really care what they think? Do their opinions matter in the slightest? Have you ever listened to what they told you?**"

Naruto thought about it for a bit. "I... guess not..."

"**Tell me, out of everyone in this miserable village, who's opinion actually matters to you?**"

Naruto thought again and came up with his answer fairly quick. "Well, I guess Old Man Hokage, Iruka-sensei, Old Man Teuchi, Ayame-neechan... umm... that's it."

"**Four people. Out of everyone, just four actually treat you like a human being instead of a demon.**"

Naruto eyes shot open in realization. "You mean they all know?! But why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"**I don't know, Kit. That's something you'll have to ask the Old Man. In the meantime, answer me this: Do you still want to be Hokage?**" the fox asked.

Naruto turned his head to the side, remembering all the times he'd been attacked by angry villagers, all the times his apartment had been ransacked and firebombed, all the angry glares. All because of something that wasn't even his fault. An image of the Hokage Monument flashed in his mind. He made his decision in an instant. Looking up at the fox with conviction in his eyes, he answered.

"Hai. I will become Hokage. I'll protect this village and everyone in it with my life, just like the Hokages before me did! I'll do it, because this is my home. I don't care if I never get respect from the villagers, because the only ones who matter are the people that have always treated me like me. I'll still become the greatest Hokage ever!"

Kyuubi looked down at his container and couldn't help but smile. "**I see. In that case, if you're ever in need of my assistance, ask and I shall lend you my chakra. Now it's time for you to return to the real world. Your dinner is ready.**" With that, Kyuubi pushed the blond out of his own mindscape.

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Naruto awoke once again, still standing exactly where he had been when he blacked out before. Behind him on the stove, he could hear the kettle whistling as the water inside boiled. He quickly turned off the stove and took the kettle and poured the water in the cups he had opened earlier.

As he ate his dinner at a sedate pace, he thought about his conversation with the Kyuubi. Finishing his meal, he made a decision. One that would change his future and shake the foundation of the village.

'_No more mask. No more taking crap from the villagers. No more screwing around in the Academy. It's time to get serious._'

As he laid down to sleep for the night, he decided he was going to see the Hokage the next day and straighten out a few things.

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Sakura made her way through the village towards her house while thinking about what had just happened. As she passed through the market section, she remembered that she needed to pick up some more kunai and shuriken since her last set was almost completely worn out. She stopped into the weapon shop on the main street and walked up to the counter.

The clerk looked at her with a smile. "What can I get for you today, young lady?"

Sakura returned the smile. "Can I get a set of kunai and a set of shuriken, please?"

"Sure thing. Just give me a minute to get your order together. We just got in the new shipment," the clerk said as he went into the back room. As she turned to browse the rest of the shop, Naruto's words flashed through her mind.

'_...try actually training every once in awhile......what makes you think he'd want a _weak_ girlfriend?_'

She turned back towards the counter and called out to the clerk. "Sir, could you make that four sets each? I just realized I've been neglecting my training lately..." '**_More like always..._**' '_Shut it!_'

He peaked his head out from the doorway with a smirk. "Sure thing. One Uchiha/Uzumaki Special coming right up!"

Sakura's face twisted in confusion. "What do Sasuke-kun and Naruto no baka have to do with my order?"

The clerk's voice came out from the back room as he gathered the order. "Sasuke-san and Naruto-san come in every week and get four sets of kunai and shuriken each. They're two of my best customers after Tenten-chan."

Now Sakura was _really_ surprised. Weapon sets weren't cheap. She could understand how Sasuke could afford that many every week, but how did Naruto?

"How can they afford to buy that many every week?"

The clerk brought out her order in the form of eight weapon pouches and placed them in a bag. "We have a recycling program. For every weapon you bring back, we take off a certain amount on your order. The same goes for the weapon pouches. We take the damaged and broken ones and melt them down to make new weapons. And since we just reuse the pouches, we can afford to keep our prices lower. The two of them usually bring back every weapon from all eight sets, so they only pay a fraction of the price. I take it you're interested in participating in the program, too?"

Sakura's eyes lit up at the prospects this opened up. "That sounds wonderful! How do I sign up?"

The clerk pulled out a clipboard with a sign up sheet. "Sign here and you're good to go."

She quickly read over the form and signed at the bottom before paying for her purchase.

"Come again!"

"I will!" she said with a smile.

As she made her way home, she started to get tired due to the weight of her baggage. "Ugh... maybe Naruto was right. I do need to train more..." she stopped at a bench to rest for a minute. As she sat there, she heard a familiar voice from down the street.

"Sasuke-kun, why don't you have dinner with me! That annoying Forehead isn't around so you don't have to hold back your feelings for me anymore!"

Sakura turned her head to see Ino clinging to an annoyed looking Sasuke's arm. Her blood started to boil in fury seeing this, but before she could get to her feet to go confront her rival, Naruto's words rang through her mind once again.

'_...try treating him like a human being, not some festival prize..._'

Those words were like a bucket of cold water being dumped on her brain. She took a deep breath, stood up with her baggage in hand and made her way calmly over.

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Sasuke's day just seemed to be getting worse by the minute. First the _dobe_ had challenged him to another fight, then he realized he'd forgotten to bring the used weapons to recycle with him that morning. After going home and getting the bag he'd forgotten, he hadn't even made it halfway to the shop before Ino had latched onto him arm like a limpet. The only way it could get worse was if he ran into Sakura. Then he'd be forced to listen to the two banshees argue over him for _kami_ knew how long.

"Sasuke-kun, why don't you have dinner with me! That annoying Forehead isn't around so you don't have to hold back your feelings for me anymore!"

Sasuke just ignored the girl and kept walking towards the weapon shop. He caught a flash of red and pink out of the corner of his eye and groaned. It really wasn't his day.

"Let him go, Ino-pig. In case you can't tell, he really doesn't want someone hanging off his arm right now."

Ino's eye narrowed at her rival. "Not a chance Forehead! I'm not letting go of Sasuke-kun so you can make your move. Sasuke-kun and I's love is too strong to be torn from us by you!"

Sakura rolled her eyes, even though she wanted to throttle the blond. "Whatever, Piggy." She turned to Sasuke with a smile. "Hey, Sasuke-kun. Do you know any good places to do weapon training?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in surprise. The lack of high-pitched screeching was a welcome change. He noticed she was carrying an identical bag to the one he had and guessed that she must have just came from the weapon shop he was heading to. He gave a slight nod to the pinkette.

"Try Training Area 4. It's got the best variety of targets," he said while searching her expression for any signs of this being an act. He didn't see anything other than the urge to punch Ino on her face.

"Thanks Sasuke-kun! See you Monday at the Academy!" With that, she walked passed the two of them and made her way to her house.

"That was weird... Oh well! Her loss! So Sasuke-kun, where do you want to go for our date?" she asked as she turned her attention back to the raven-haired boy. Sasuke poofed as he turned into a log right in her arms.

"Dammit! Where'd he go?" Ino yelled as she started searching for the boy.

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Author's Note

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There! Chapter two complete! I feel good about how this story is coming along. Read and review! Let me know what you think! I'll try to keep the updates coming at a good pace.

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _ Ja-ne!_


	3. Things are Not Always as They Seem

Walking a Different Path

By: Jolly

A Naruto Fanfic

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Author's note

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I really don't know why, but my muse is on a roll. I hope she keeps it up! ^_^ I had this done the same day I posted the last chapter, but after sleeping on an idea I went back and changed it. Which is why it took a bit longer to get this chapter out. At first I couldn't figure out how to start this fic, but after I got that first chapter written, it just started flowing for me. It could be that I've been jamming to my anime playlist for the past few days... Naaahhh! XD

I'd like to point out that me writing this story was something I did for my wife. Therefore I'll tell the rest of you in advance that this fic will stay canonical in some ways and be completely NON-canonical in others. For those instances where I throw the manga and anime out the window (such as in _this_ chapter), I'll be providing backstory so you aren't completely like 'WTF?'. I _will_ try to keep it as believable as possible.

To my lone reviewer: this will indeed be a NaruHina fic. However, the story isn't going to focus mainly on them. I'm going to work Hinata into the story soon, but for now just bear with me as I focus on Team 7.

Finally, I'd like to thank **lord of the land of fire** for allowing me to use the seal jutsu from his fic, A Mother's Love. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend you check it out along with all his other fics. You can find a good portion of them under the 'My Favorite Stories' tab on my profile. I hope to one day be able to write as well as he does. Here's chapter three!

Enjoy!

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The next morning, Sakura woke up early so she could get started on her training. It was a Sunday, so she had the day off from the Academy. Normally she would sleep in, then try to find Sasuke to ask for a date only to fail in her endeavor. Today was different though. She threw on her ninja gear and strapped on four of the weapon pouches she had bought the day before (two of each type) and left her house after a light breakfast.

She had never been to Training Area 4 before, so she had to ask around before she found her way. She made her way through the forest at a sedate pace due to the weight she was currently lugging around on her waist. By the time she made it to the forested area around Training Area 4, it was already 9 o'clock and she was already winded.

'_Okay, I really need to work on my stamina..._' '_**No kidding... I hate to say it, but Naruto was right...**_' '_Shut up... You don't have to rub it in._'

She couldn't help but think back to what happened the day before. The day had started normally enough. It had been a day like any other day up until Sasuke and Naruto's spar. After she had confronted him, it was like he changed into a completely different person. '_Or has he always been like this? Has he just been hiding his real personality all this time?_' she asked herself. She realized that she had never tried to actually get to know the blond.

To her, he had always been the annoying prankster that wouldn't stop bugging her for dates and was constantly getting between her and Sasuke-kun. But this 'new' Naruto...

'_Did what I say really affect him that much...?_'

She knew that what he said to _her_ had really made her stop and think about things that she had always seen as a matter of course. What he suggested had actually seemed to work. She'd repressed the urge to get into her normal catfight with Ino when she saw the blond hanging onto Sasuke like a leech and had even managed to hold an actual conversation with him to boot. He didn't even go 'Hn' once! Which means...

'_Which means... that he's _not_ as dumb as he seems?_'

As she stepped into the clearing that was Training Area 4, she saw that she wasn't the only one there. She froze mid step at what she saw.

Standing with their backs to her were two unmistakable figures. One was blond and wore a bright orange and blue jumpsuit and the other had raven colored hair and wore khaki shorts and a blue shirt with a fan-shaped crest on the back. The latter was apparently giving pointers to the former on his throwing technique while the former was listening intently.

"_Na... ni?_" she asked the air around her in complete shock and confusion.

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Naruto's morning was much the same, but his day had started much earlier. Before the sun had fully broken over the horizon, he was walking out of his apartment and making his way to Training Area 4. Very few people were awake this early on Sundays, the exception being the bakery owners and the handful of ninja either on their way to do missions or out for some early morning training like himself.

As he left the streets and made his way through the forest leading to the Training Areas, his thoughts wandered to the previous day and what would be in store for him that afternoon when he went to talk to the Hokage. He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize his feet had carried him into the clearing until a familiar voice called out, "About time, _dobe_. I was beginning to wonder if you had chickened out after yesterday."

Bringing himself back to reality, he finally noticed that he was standing right in the middle of the clearing. "Damn, I'm really out of it today... I didn't even notice my seal reacting."

Sasuke gave the blond a look of mild surprise. "Don't tell me that losing to me yesterday shook you up that badly..."

Naruto shook his head. "It's not that. Well, not directly at least..."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, slightly concerned with how his friend was acting. During the week and whenever they were in public, they acted like they couldn't stand the sight of each other. However, their attitudes were exactly that; an act. Contrary to what most people were led to believe, the two boys were best friends. During their first year in the Academy, the two of them had become fast friends and rivals.

Looking at the blond, Sasuke saw the same brooding expression that he had seen in his own mirror after his brother had killed his entire clan many years ago. He really hoped he didn't have to resort to the same method that Naruto had used to bring him back to his senses. The blond had a notoriously thick skull...

After the Uchiha Massacre, he had been driven solely by his desire for revenge and had turned away from his friends. After about two weeks of dealing with his attitude Naruto had lost his patience and tracked Sasuke down to the very place they were at now.

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Flashback

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Naruto had been searching for Sasuke all afternoon and had finally managed to track him down. As he walked into the clearing, he saw his best friend throwing the last of his kunai at the targets that were set up.

"Sasuke!"

The other boy turned slightly to glance at the blond.

"What do you want, _dobe_?"

Naruto walked right up to the Uchiha, forcing the boy to face his entire body towards him, and glared at him.

"What do I _want_? I want my friend back, that's what! You don't talk to me, you ignore everyone else, and you barely even acknowledge my existence! What the hell happened?! You disappeared for a week and when you came back, you were like _this_! Why are you being this way?"

Sasuke was looking at Naruto in disgust. "None of your business. If that's all you wanted, then go. You're in the way. I need to get stronger and I can't do that when everyone holds me back." He turned away from the blond and started walking towards the targets to pick up his weapons. He never saw the fist that hit him in the back of the head.

He landed facedown in the grass and rolled to the side, only to find Naruto already on top of him and throwing another punch. The blow connected solidly with his jaw. "What the hell is your problem?! Why won't you talk to me? Whatever it is, let me help damn it!"

Naruto may have been an idiot, but there was one thing he knew for certain: You helped your friends when they were in trouble. Sasuke was his best friend, so there was no way in hell he was letting him just walk away.

Sasuke slowly brought his face to meet Naruto's gaze. He matched the glare the blond was giving him and spit the blood in his mouth to the side. Just looking at the blond infuriated him.

"What the hell do you know?! You didn't have your entire clan killed in front of your eyes! You didn't see your parents killed by your own brother! You didn't relive that horror for three damn days in your mind! You don't understand! You'll _never_ understand losing your family!" Even as the words left his mouth, he felt bad for saying them. The hurt look on Naruto's face only made him feel worse.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence between them, Naruto finally spoke in almost a whisper.

"You're right... I'll never understand what it's like to lose family. I've never had a mother or a father... or _any_ real family... But... I do sort of have a family. The Hokage is like my adopted grandfather... Iruka-sensei treats the way I see other people treat their younger siblings... Teuchi-san and Ayame-neechan are like my uncle and cousin... but you, Sasuke... you're my brother. I don't know what it's like to lose your real family since I've never had one, but I do know that it hurts just thinking about losing any one of you."

Naruto got off of Sasuke and sat in the grass next to him. Sasuke sat up and glanced over at the blond, who was staring at the ground in front of him. He couldn't stand looking at him when he looked like that; it just made him feel worse.

"I need to get strong enough to kill Itachi. I'm an avenger; I _have_ to kill him. I'm the only one who can," he said, but it just didn't have the same passion as before.

"Fine. I won't stop you. In fact, I'll help you." Sasuke looked over at Naruto in surprise, only to see the blond looking at him with a sad smile on his face. "What kind of family would I be if I let my brother do this on his own? We'll both train like crazy until we're strong enough to take him out. Itachi won't know what hit him! What do you say _teme_?"

Sasuke dropped his gaze to the ground. Here Naruto was, still trying to help him. Even after what he'd said, the blond was willing to train with him and even go after Itachi with him when they were ready. Sasuke shook his head slightly in amazement. He really was a...

"_Dobe_..." he said under his breath. The Uchiha looked up once again to see him smiling his normal foxy grin. A small smirk appeared on his face, though if anyone had mentioned it, he would have denied it.

"We've got to work on your punches. You hit like a girl," he said as he got to his feet.

"HEY!"

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End Flashback

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Ever since that day, they had been meeting here almost every Sunday to train. They constantly pushed each other to do their best, regardless of the fact that the Uchiha always beat him in almost everything they competed in. Sasuke was just naturally more talented in every area, whether because of his heritage or just plain skill. The two exceptions were endurance and determination.

The blond just never seemed to tire out. Sasuke may have been better than Naruto at everything, but the blond could always outlast him at everything they did, which worked out just fine for both of them. Naruto always strove to get better than Sasuke at everything they did and whenever Sasuke thought he was empty and saw Naruto still going strong, it would cause the 'genius' to reach deep down inside of himself and pull on reserves he didn't realize he had.

It had actually been Naruto who suggested that they act coldly towards each other in public due to the Council. When the civilian body had heard about their friendship, they had been up in arms about the 'demon brat' associating with the Uchiha prodigy.

Neither boy had been willing to break off their friendship, so they decided that the easiest solution was to simply hide it. They were going to be ninja after all, weren't they? If they couldn't keep something as simple as a friendship secret, it didn't bode well for their future careers.

"You wanna explain what you mean by that?" Sasuke asked

Naruto just sighed. "Nevermind. I'll tell you later, okay? Let's just get started. I need to clear my head." He removed his goggles so they wouldn't get damaged during their training. Their spars had a tendency to get a little rough.

The goggles had been a birthday gift from the year he had enrolled in the Academy, but he had never figured out who had left the present by his front door. Whoever the sender was didn't leave a card or note with it. He'd originally thought it was Iruka-sensei. However, the young chunin had denied it claiming that the blond had a secret admirer. The blond still wondered about it to this day.

The Uchiha shrugged and started to do some light stretches. "Sure. I'm surprised though. It's not like you to be so lost in thought that you don't even notice your seal reacting," he said, pointing to the small ramen bowl over the kanji for 'one' on his left wrist.

Naruto looked down at his own left wrist at the seal that was beginning to fade. The large kanji for 'one' with a small picture of a flame above it completely disappeared after a few seconds. He just shook his head and started to do his own stretches.

The seal was actually the fruit of one of Naruto's late night forays into the scroll closet in the Hokage's office from almost a year ago. The Academy instructors hadn't been teaching him any jutsu, or at least not _properly_ teaching him, and he figured since the Hokage was the strongest ninja in the village that he _had_ to have some awesome jutsu scrolls that he could learn from.

Much to his disappointment, he discovered most of the scrolls and tomes in the small library had seals on them that he was unable to open. Only a handful of the scrolls were accessible to him, one of which being a scroll belonging to the Yondaime Hokage that contained a very interesting _fuinjutsu_. It was a complex jutsu, but the Yondaime had left notes throughout the scroll that simplified each step to the point that even Naruto could understand it.

Though he usually had trouble learning, he absorbed anything and _everything_ related to the Hokages like a sponge. After painstakingly copying the entire scroll and returning the original to its proper spot, he had made a beeline to the Uchiha compound to have his friend help him in testing it out.

There were a few variations of the jutsu, and the two boys were only able to get the simplest one of them to work at first. Over the last year, the two of them had managed to get the 'true' seal to work and Naruto had even added to it using the notes left by the Yondaime.

The original seal alerted the user or users whenever someone crossed the 'barrier' seal and would indicate what area the seal had been crossed at, allowing the user to react accordingly. The 'improved' seal that Naruto and Sasuke had made worked similarly, but went a step or two further. Whenever someone crossed one of their seals, it would alert them both as to the direction and number of the intruders, relative to them, as well as indicate the 'threat level' they posed.

'Ichi' indicated that someone with a 'user' seal on them had crossed the barrier, as well as indicating which user it was; Naruto's symbol was a bowl of ramen and Sasuke's was a flame. 'Ni' indicated a civilian or genin level ninja. 'San' was chuunin level ninja and, at Sasuke's insistence due to break-ins at the Uchiha compound, fangirls. 'Yon' was special jounin or jounin level ninja and 'go' was Kage level. The seal based the 'threat level' off of chakra levels (and intent in the case of fangirls).

Users also had the ability to check if there was anybody already in the seal before entering it themselves. This allowed the two boys to check their residences for intruders from the outside. They had both had surprises waiting for them at home before and neither wanted to constantly repeat the experience.

The last thing that had been a necessity was the ability to cut off the signal between the user and the barrier. With the Training Area being open to anyone, their seals would be constantly going off during the day if left activated. So every Sunday, after they were finished, the boys would cut the connection between their seals and the barrier around Training Area 4 and reactivate them the following Sunday morning.

There were currently a total of four of these seals inside the village to the boys' knowledge: the one on Naruto's apartment, the one around the Uchiha compound, the one around Training Area 4, and the original that was set up by the Yondaime himself around the Namikaze estates.

After stretching, they did some calisthenics and 20 laps around the clearing to finish up their warm-up. Next they did some light sparring. About 10 minutes into that, Naruto dropped his stance and sighed. Sasuke looked at his friend in surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"What am I doing wrong? I haven't landed a solid hit on you in over two months!"

Sasuke was _very_ surprised now. Naruto hadn't asked for advice on his techniques in forever. Something was up with the blond today. He paused in thought for a few seconds.

"What's wrong, Naruto? You've been acting weirder than usual today. Did something happen after our spar yesterday?"

Naruto sighed again and dropped to the grass. Sasuke sat down next to him and waited for his reply. He didn't have to wait long.

"Yeah, something did happen yesterday. When everybody left after our spar, Sakura stayed behind and talked down to me like she normally does. I don't know why, but what she said really pissed me off and I ended up blowing up at her. Even though what I said was true, I was pretty harsh to her."

"That doesn't seem bad enough to make you act like this, though…"

Naruto shook his head. "It wouldn't be, but that wasn't the only thing that happened. I found out the real reason that everyone treats me the way they do."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Everyone I've ever asked has told me they couldn't say. They all seem to be under the impression that you know what it is that they hate you for."

Naruto nodded. "I do now, but it's not something I had any control over. I didn't even _do_ anything!"

"What do you mean?"

Naruto looked over at his friend. They had been through a lot together and they were as close as any real brothers were. Naruto didn't want to lose his best friend if Sasuke hated him because of the fox. How would he react? Would he accept him? Would he run away?

'_**Only one way to find out, Kit,**_' said the fox in the back of his mind. Naruto could only nod.

'_You're right. Here goes nothing…_'

"Remember back in our first year at the Academy, when Iruka-sensei told us the story of how the Yondaime Hokage sacrificed his life to kill the Kyuubi no Kitsune 12 years ago?" Sasuke nodded as he started to get a bad feeling, prompting Naruto to continue. "Well it turns out that he couldn't kill the Kyuubi. Apparently nothing can kill a being of pure chakra." He paused, waiting for an outburst from Sasuke, only to find the boy looking at him silently waiting for him to continue. Naruto sighed yet again and continued.

"In order to stop the Kyuubi, the Yondaime sacrificed his life to seal the demon into a newborn child," he said as he lifted up his jacket and shirt and molded some chakra, revealing the seal on his stomach. "I have the Kyuubi sealed inside me, Sasuke."

Naruto closed his eyes and waited for the explosion. It never came. Instead he heard Sasuke get to his feet and start to walk away.

'_Damn it! I knew it…_' He could feel tears burning behind his eyes and knew that he couldn't hold them back much longer. Suddenly, he heard something that he wasn't expecting at all. He heard a soft chuckling that steadily turned into a full laugh. Naruto opened his eyes to see Sasuke leaning against a tree holding his gut with both arms as he laughed.

"What's so funny, _teme_?!" he yelled as he jumped to his feet, tears in his eyes, and put a fist up threateningly. Sasuke didn't even look up, just waved his hand towards Naruto as he continued to laugh. Once he finally got control of his mirth, the raven-haired boy looked at the blond with a smile as he wiped the tears from his eye.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I couldn't help myself. The first thing I thought when you told me you had the Kyuubi sealed in you…" he didn't finish as he started to laugh again. Naruto wasn't mad anymore; he was confused. After a minute, Sasuke finally got himself under control.

"The first thing I thought was…" he paused and looked Naruto right in the eye. "…'Itachi is SO fucked!'" He immediately broke into laughter yet again.

Naruto couldn't help himself. He started to laugh along with his best friend, amused at what he had said and relieved beyond belief that his brother wasn't going to turn his back on him.

Once the two of them got control of themselves again, their training went on like it usually did. Sasuke gave Naruto pointers whenever he was struggling with something, which ended up making it one of the most productive sessions to date. After a couple of hours, they moved on to weapons where Sasuke continued to help him with his technique whenever Naruto did something wrong.

Doing so caused them to take longer in emptying their pouches of weapons, but led to Naruto being able to see immediate results as he consistently hit the target where he wanted to.

"Wow… I didn't think that adjusting my grip would affect my aim so much," Naruto said with awe in his voice.

"That's just the basics. By the time we graduate, hopefully you'll have mastered the Kunai Deflection Technique or at least gotten the basics," Sasuke replied with a smirk. He was about to explain how to better improve his accuracy when he felt the familiar tingling sensation on his left wrist, causing both boys to look at their seals.

The large 'ni' with the number 1 above it had appeared, indicating that a genin or lower ninja had entered the area (since only ninja and Academy students are allowed to use the training fields). The boys looked up at each other and shrugged, unconcerned.

It wasn't the first time a genin had wandered into their training. Usually they left to train elsewhere when they saw the field was in use, but on a few occasions they had even stayed and trained with them with the promise that they would keep quiet about the two of them. They only worried about adult ninja and fangirls finding them while they were training.

"Okay, so the next thing you should try is to flick your wrist more when you release. That should give your throws more penetrating power against armored enemies," Sasuke continued, ignoring the brief interruption.

Naruto tried a couple of throws, but the added torque was messing up his aim. "Damn it!"

Sasuke sighed and pulled out a kunai of his own. "Here watch me. I'll go slow so you can see how it's done."

Naruto watched the other boy with determined interest as he showed him the steps and where he was messing up. All of a sudden they heard a familiar voice from behind them.

"_Na... ni?_"

Both boys whipped around to see a pink-haired girl staring at them with her mouth open in surprise. They quickly checked the seals on their wrists again to find that the third stroke in 'san' was halfway complete and was wavering back and forth.

"What the hell? Is the seal messed up?" Sasuke asked with a little heat.

"No, I don't think so… It reacts based on intent. She must not have come here looking for you, which is surprising in and of itself," the blond replied with a grimace. He looked over at his friend with a sigh. "You want me to keep her busy while you make a break for it?"

Sasuke looked over at the frozen pinkette and sighed. "No… This is my fault after all. I was the one that mentioned this place to her. I just didn't think she'd actually come here the very next day."

"You _WHAT_?"

Sasuke stuck his finger in his ear and hoped the ringing would go away soon. "Do you have to be so loud, _dobe_? Yesterday I ran into her on the way to Keisuke's place and she asked me for a good location to practice weapons. So I suggested this place and figured if she came looking for me, we'd know and have time to clear out. I didn't expect her to actually come and train…" he looked down once again at the wavering seal. "Though it seems like she's torn."

As he said that, Sakura mentally shook herself from her stupor and closed her mouth with a 'clomp.' She was still having trouble processing what she was seeing, but regardless of her disbelief, it was still real.

'_Sasuke-kun and Naruto are training together? I thought they couldn't stand each other!_' she thought. '_Yesterday, it looked like they hated each other's guts! So what changed?_'

"What's going on? I thought you two hated each other?" she asked, hoping to shed some light on the situation before her.

Sasuke sighed, not wanting to explain himself to his number one fangirl. Naruto, on the other hand, decided that it was time to lay down the law.

"I didn't realize that we had to explain ourselves to the President of the Sasuke Fanclub," he growled out harshly.

Sakura flinched at his words, being reminded of their conversation the day before. Apparently he was still mad. Sasuke gave his friend a surprised look, having never heard him talk to the pinkette in that tone before.

'_She must have really pissed him off._'

"If you're here to actually train, there are some targets over there that haven't been used yet. There're only two rules you have to follow if you're going to train with us. One: You can't tell anyone that you saw us training together. Don't ask why either; our reasons are our own. Two: Leave the 'fan girl' crap at the edge of the clearing. If you're here to train, train for yourself – not to impress Sasuke. If at any time you start acting like a fan girl, we'll make you leave. If you're not here to train, then leave now. If _you_ don't leave, _we_ will," he explained with a cold stare.

Sasuke may have 'invited' her, but that didn't mean he had to be nice to her. He was tired of putting up with her.

Sakura stood there, speechless. She had hoped that the previous day had been a one-time thing, but that little fantasy had just been squashed. He was really pissed with her and it didn't look like he was going to treat her any differently anytime soon.

Despite her surprise, she hardened her resolve and nodded to the blond.

"I won't tell anyone, I was just surprised is all," she said, finally finding her voice. She lowered her head as she continued. "I… I realized you were right, Naruto. I'm weak and I've had my priorities mixed up… Just walking here from my house with my gear and I'm already tired. I also thought about what you said and I want to apologize for the way I've treated you in the past. It's just…"

Naruto cut her off with a slicing motion. "Doesn't matter anymore. Are you here to train or not?"

She nodded.

"Are you going to act like a fan girl?"

She shook her head vigorously. Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, who had been watching his seal. He looked up to meet the blond's gaze and gave a slight nod. Naruto turned back to Sakura. "Okay, then get started. I suggest dropping your gear and doing some push-ups and sit-ups to warm up."

With that, he turned his back to her and started throwing kunai at the training dummy. Sasuke looked at her for a few seconds more before joining Naruto and giving him pointers once again.

Sakura just sighed and got started.

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Author's Note

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Chapter three complete! I had a hard time deciding how I wanted to end this chapter. I think it came out alright, but I'm sure it could have been better. That's what I get for trying to finish a chapter at 3AM… Anyway, let me know what you think!

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _ Ja-ne!_


	4. Do you mean that?

Walking a Different Path

By: Jolly

A Naruto Fanfic

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Author's note

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Quick time skip from the last chapter. A couple of explanations before I begin the chapter to douse any flames beforehand.

Naruto's affinity is still wind, but as is explained in the canon: ninja are able to learn jutsu of all types. It's just easier to use one that they have an affinity with. Naruto doesn't have to worry about that kind of thing since he's got a crapload of chakra to toss around.

Naruto and the rest of Team 7 aren't going to be super-powered, but they're not going to be helpless newbies like they were in canon, either. There's a reason I had them meet like they did.

One more thing: Sakura still doesn't know about Naruto's tenant. That's all for now!

For any interested, head on over to my profile and check out my newest fic, Kitsune-san, and **eternalshiva**'s fic, A Small Crack in Perfection, that I am beta'ing.

Enjoy!

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"Earth Style: Mud Pit Jutsu!"

"Fire Style: Fire Pillar Jutsu!"

""Combination Art: Magma Eruption Jutsu!""

Suddenly there was a rumbling from beneath the feet of the training ninja. Seconds later a fiery hole opened up in the training ground, sending a pillar of molten earth shooting thirty feet into the air. After about ten seconds the jutsu ended, leaving the area with the training dummies a charred mess and several small fires around the area where the magma had landed.

"Water Style: Water Cannon Jutsu!"

From the river next to the Training Area shot a pillar of water that quickly put out the fires and cooled down the area immediately next to the hole the jutsu had caused. After about thirty seconds, the pink-haired girl controlling the jutsu was convinced that she had gotten all of it and ended the jutsu. She was breathing hard, but looking over at the two boys squatting with their hands on the ground she knew she'd had the easy part.

Naruto and Sasuke were both sweating profusely and panting for breath.

Naruto's vaunted stamina seemed to have failed him for once as he fell back onto his butt to rest.

"I guess I see why you two waited until I had enough chakra before trying out that jutsu. If you'd done that on your own, who knows how much of the forest would be burnt down!" Sakura commented with a grin at her two companions.

Naruto sent his own smirk to the pinkette, finally having caught his breath. "Yeah, even if we had enough control to use that water jutsu, we wouldn't have had the chakra after doing our own to pull it off."

Sasuke sat down on the ground as well before looking over to his 'brother'. "At least we got it right that time. You need better control Naruto. The problem I kept having was trying to mix my fire jutsu with your earth jutsu. You just push as much chakra into the jutsu as possible to make it work. That really makes it hard for me to form the pillar of magma properly since the mud keeps wanting to take control of the jutsu."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I know... Maybe you should ask the teachers at the Academy if they have anything that would help the 'Great Uchiha'. It _is_ how we got the scrolls with those jutsu in them."

Sasuke shrugged as Sakura sat down in front of the two boys. "I can check out the library and look for books or scrolls that have chakra control exercises. It would probably be a good idea to get as many as we can." Both boys nodded.

"Good idea, Sakura! You head to the library and Sasuke can go track down one of the sensei from the Academy while _I_ go get some lunch!" said Naruto with a grin as he looked from one to the other. Sasuke just nodded his head in agreement while Sakura smiled.

It had been almost three months since the day she'd first stumbled into them at Training Area 4. Since then, she'd managed to earn back Naruto's trust and even gotten a view words of praise from Sasuke on her hard work. Her physical strength had improved by leaps and bounds and her chakra reserves had also shown a marked improvement while training with the two boys.

Currently they were in the process of destroying Training Area 41 instead of their normal spot for two reasons. First was its distance from the village, thus allowing them to perform the destructive jutsu without worrying about harming their home. The second was the river that ran through the middle of the grounds to feed the Suiton jutsu Sakura had used.

Everyone was happy with the fruits of their labor.

Sakura gave a small sigh as she realized what lunch would be. "Guess it can't be helped... Ramen isn't _too_ bad, but I just can't figure out how you can live off the stuff. You know, if you ate something other than ramen you might not be the shortest one in class."

Naruto frowned as Sasuke stood and spoke. "It might help if Ichiraku's wasn't the only place in town that allowed him to sit down and eat. It's not really surprising that his favorite food would be the one thing he grew up eating."

Sakura may have earned their trust, but she was still learning where all the explosive tags were at when it came to dealing with the two boys. She grimaced and looked at the blond apologetically. "Sorry Naruto. I guess I didn't think it through before I opened my mouth."

"Don't worry about it, Sakura. I'm used to it." He stood and stretched a bit then smiled down at the still sitting girl. "Come on, don't look like that. We've got work to do! No time for moping." When the pinkette still didn't show signs of moving, he decided to rely on the basics. "Hey. Sakura. What's the third rule of training with us?"

Sakura looked up at the two boys to see their stern expressions. She mentally shook herself before jumping to her feet. "'No giving up and no feeling bad about what you did in the past. Learn from your mistakes and improve.'" She shot a smile at the only two male friends she had. "Thanks. I needed that. Okay, let's get going. Pork for me, Naruto."

Naruto smiled back and looked over to Sasuke. "Miso," was all the raven-haired boy said as he started walking away.

With a grin plastered on his face, Naruto made a beeline for his favorite ramen stand.

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An hour later, the trio was back in its normal training grounds eating lunch. In front of them was a stack of books and several scrolls.

Naruto let out a satisfied 'Ah' and put down his fifth and final bowl of noodles. With a smile, he stacked up the bowls to one side and laid back in the grass.

However, his break was interrupted by his pink-haired companion. "Hey, Naruto?"

He glanced over to the side and raised an eyebrow. "What's up, Sakura?"

The girl had a thoughtful expression on her face and she hesitated a moment before continuing. "Umm, I'm sorry if I offend you, but I was just curious about something…" Naruto sat up and turned his body towards the pinkette, urging her to continue. "Well, I was wondering why it was you can do B-rank ninjutsu like Mud Pit without a hitch, but still can't do a simple Clone jutsu? It just doesn't make sense to me."

Naruto's face scrunched up in thought for a moment before shrugging. "Dunno. It's just feels easier to do."

"Actually..." Sakura and Naruto turned to the stoic boy sitting next to them with interest. Sasuke was looking at the ground with a thoughtful expression. "...I've been thinking about that since we started working on jutsu. Naruto, we tried to pull off that combination jutsu about five times. How tired were you after the first try?"

Naruto closed his eyes and thought back. "Umm... Not tired at all really. Why?" he asked.

Sasuke ignored him and shot another query the blond's way. "What about after the third?"

Naruto was annoyed that he'd been blown off, but kept his temper in check for the moment. He knew his friend was only trying to help him, but that didn't mean he had to like the way he went about doing it. "After the third, I'd almost used all of my chakra."

Sasuke nodded and smirked a bit. "I thought as much." Sakura looked back and forth between the two, curious as to where this was going.

"What about you, Sasuke-kun? Weren't you tired after all that, too?" she asked.

The Uchiha turned to her and nodded. "Yeah, but I knew I needed to pace myself after we didn't get it the first time. So I controlled how much I put into my jutsu each time." He turned back to Naruto and kept going. "Knucklehead here kept pushing as much chakra into the jutsu as he could." Seeing Sakura's confused expression, he decided that he needed to simplify it. "Think of it like this. His jutsu needed five units of chakra to perform, but he was putting in _fifteen_ units the first three times he tried."

Sakura was shocked. "That much? But, the two of you looked like you were at the same level of fatigue. So how...?" she trailed off as realization dawned on her. She whipped around to Naruto looking flabbergasted. "You've got too much chakra!"

Naruto looked at the pinkette in utter confusion. "Huh?"

Sakura grabbed the blond by the shoulders and rotated him so that his whole body was facing her as she continued excitedly. "It all makes sense now! The bushin jutsu requires very little chakra. That's why it's taught to Academy students. Most students don't have large chakra reserves, so usually they don't have any problems in learning it." Naruto was still looking at her with a blank expression, so she decided to do an experiment. He seemed like the type that learned better with hands-on experience.

"Tell me, Naruto. How much chakra do you have right now?" she asked, pulling him to his feet with her.

Naruto blushed slightly at the contact, but answered her without faltering. "Umm... I guess about a fourth of my normal amount. We haven't really rested that much," he commented while scratching the back of his head.

However, instead of grumbling or sighing in frustration, Sakura broke out into a wide smile. "Perfect! Okay, one more question! When you try to make a clone, how much chakra do you put into it?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke smile as he followed her line of questioning to its natural conclusion.

"About the same as I did for the Mud Pit jutsu. Why do you ask?" he queried, tilting his head slightly.

"I _asked_ because I needed to know how much chakra you were using. The Clone jutsu requires the user to use a _set_ amount of chakra. Use too little and the jutsu fails altogether. Use too much and the jutsu overloads," she explained. Naruto, however, looked as confused as ever, causing the pinkette to frown in frustration.

"Look! Just try to make a bushin. Only this time, try to use as _little_ chakra as you can," she told him. Naruto nodded and formed the seals needed for the jutsu.

"Clone Justu!"

Next to the blond appeared a pale, sickly version on himself that wobbled slightly before falling over and dispelling. Though it had been a huge improvement over his usual attempts, Naruto still sighed at his latest failure. He turned back to his two friends expecting to see them looking angry or frustrated, only to find them both grinning like loons. "What? Why are you both smiling?" he asked, slightly afraid of his companions.

Sakura and Sasuke turned to each other and nodded in silent agreement. As they turned their attention back to the blond, Sakura began explaining.

"Naruto, we know why you can't do the Clone jutsu. It's because you have too much chakra to control properly in small amounts!"

Sasuke continued as she paused for breath. "Because your chakra control sucks, the only way you'll _ever_ be able to successfully pull it off is if you were almost completely out of chakra in the first place. That's the reason why you have no trouble with Mud Pit. If you put too much chakra into _that_ jutsu, all it does is make a bigger pit."

Sakura nodded vigorously and pointed a finger at the blond, poking it into his chest to emphasize her point. "Sasuke-kun's right, Naruto. All we need to do is work on your chakra control and you shouldn't have any trouble with passing the exam this time around!" Sakura exclaimed excitedly. Naruto turned from one to the other with amazement.

A grin spread on his face as realization finally came to him. "Well, what are we waiting for?!" he yelled out. "Let's get started!"

Never in his life had Uzumaki Naruto been so eager to crack open a book.

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Twilight was almost upon them before they finally called it a day. As the two boys paused a moment to break their connections with the grounds, Sakura looked longingly at the seals they both sported. She'd asked about them before, but the two boys had skirted around the question time and time again. After the first couple of weeks, she'd given up asking about them and decided to bide her time.

However, though she had many strong points, patience wasn't one of them. She had to bite her lip in order to physically stop herself from opening her mouth to ask the question on the tip of her tounge. Finishing their task, the two boys turned as one and made their way to the trail leading back to the village. Sakura quickly fell into step, trying to keep her curiosity in check.

"Thanks for the help, guys! I don't think I would have learned the leaf floating exercise that quickly if you two weren't helping me!" the blond exclaimed as he threaded his fingers together behind his head with a smile.

"Hn..."

"No problem, Naruto! What're friends for?" Sakura asked with a pleasant expression.

Naruto stopped short, causing Sasuke and Sakura to stop and turn back to the blond. Sakura tilted her head questioningly while Sasuke just glanced over his shoulder.

"What's wrong, Naruto? Did I say something wrong?" the pinkette asked, fearing she'd stepped on yet another explosive tag.

Naruto stared at her with a searching gaze. "Do you... do you really mean that?" he asked.

Sakura couldn't keep the confused look off her face. "Of course it's no problem! You guys have helped me improve so much since I started working with you, so the least I can do is help you with your chakra control!" she exclaimed with a huff. Really, what kind of question was that? It was like he didn't think he was worth being helped out!

Naruto shook his head and looked her dead in the eye. "No, not that. I meant do you really think of me as a friend?" he clarified.

Now she was _really_ confused. "Of course I do!" she yelled. Sakura looked at the blond thoughtfully as she continued. "I'll admit that I used to think you were an annoying loudmouth that would never amount to anything," she said, causing the blond to frown "but once I got to know the real you, I realized that you were just trying to get attention. I don't know why the villagers treat you the way they do, but you're nothing like what people say you are." She leaned forward and poked his forehead with her forefinger. "You're a great guy, Naruto."

She grinned mischievously as her next words came to mind. Looking up at the trees and turning back to the trail, she shot shot her haymaker over her shoulder. "I finally understand why she admires you so much!" '_**But Sasuke-kun is still the best! Shannaro!**_'

Naruto's eyes shot wide open as his jaw dropped. "Huh?! Somebody admires me?" he asked dumbly, trying to process the foreign concept. Shaking his head to clear it, he finally managed to piece together a full sentence in his head. "Ano sa, ano sa! Who, Sakura, who?!" he asked as he ran after the girl, causing Sasuke to grin as he followed behind them at a sedate pace.

Her grin turned devilish as she walked ahead. "Nuh uh! That's for me to know and you to figure out on your own!"

The sounds of their voices drifted down the trail, leaving Training Area 4 silent with their absence.

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Author's Note

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Yay! Writer's block has been slain! I really had trouble writing this chapter. I don't know what it was, but I'm glad I pushed past it. Sorry that I didn't show Naruto's darker side this chapter, but I promise you that it's not gone forever. Oh, and Kyuubi _will_ be a main character just like in my other fic. I have too much fun writing the fox to leave him out!

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _ Ja-ne!_


End file.
